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White Men As Full Diversity Partners (WMFDP) is now accepting nominations for the Courageous Leader Award, given to people in the business world at the vanguard of the movement toward greater diversity and inclusion.

Bill Proudman, co-founder of WMFDP, discusses the opening of the nomination process for the 2017 Courageous Leader Award .

The Courageous Leader Award is our way of acknowledging kindred spirits, those dedicated to cultivating change at the DNA level within their companies.

Portland, OR (PRWEB)June 20, 2017

Leading diversity consultancy firm, White Men As Full Diversity Partners (WMFDP) announced the start of its nomination process for the annual Courageous Leader Award to spotlight and acknowledge individuals in the business sector. The Award recognizes courageous leaders who forge visible and transformative shifts in the way diversity & inclusion is practiced in their organization.

New evidence points to the value of corporate diversity not just on equitable grounds but from a fiscal standpoint. Analysis from the McKinsey Global Institute reports that companies in the top quartile for racial and ethnic diversity are 35 percent more likely to have financial returns above national industry medians, while companies in the top quartile for gender diversity are 15 percent more likely to have greater financial returns. (1)

WMFDP focuses on the white male leadership demographic within corporations to foster change and innovation in the workplace culture, thereby markedly expanding diversity & inclusion for those of any race, gender, background or orientation.

Co-founder Bill Proudman emphasizes that change is not only imperative but quantifiable and driven from within. “The Courageous Leader Award is our way of acknowledging kindred spirits, those dedicated to cultivating change at the DNA level within their companies,” says Proudman. “I’d describe them as courageous leaders with a precise moral compass attuned to innovation and progress, who know that diversity and prosperity are sewn with the same thread, whose approach is both pragmatic and compassionate.”

A nominee can be selected by anyone within a company, and Proudman is quick to point out that the company itself need not be a WMFDP client. “The point is that these are stellar individuals regardless of where they work. They are people who excel as leaders in the movement toward greater diversity in business and thereby our culture,” says Proudman.

To be considered for nomination for the Courageous Leader Award, the individual must demonstrate:

Success as a provocative influence in shifting mindsets and behavior while building long-term workplace cultural change.

Consistency in delivering against diversity & inclusion goals and inspiring others to do the same.

A track record of breaking down barriers in ways that have had a tangible, measurable impact on partnerships and the organization’s ability to demonstrate sustained focus on full inclusion.

Jennifer Brase, Vice President of Diversity & Inclusion for Northwestern Mutual and winner of the award last year, said, “I am honored to have received the Courageous Leader Award and to have had the privilege of working with WMFDP on our journey. I have been afforded an incredible opportunity at Northwestern Mutual to drive change in our organization by leading our Diversity and Inclusion strategy. While the work can be challenging, we are making meaningful progress toward building diverse and inclusive cultures where all unique talents and perspectives are valued.”

White Men As Full Diversity Partners (WMFDP) is a diversity and leadership development firm founded in 1996 by Bill Proudman, Michael Welp, Ph.D., and JoAnn Morris in Portland, Oregon. WMFDP takes an unorthodox approach towards eradicating bias and discrimination in the workplace. Its client list includes Alaska Airlines, Dell, Lockheed Martin, Northwestern Mutual, Chevron Drilling & Completions, The Nature Conservancy, Mass Mutual, and others. The majority of C-level executives are white and male, and they are frequently omitted from a vital role in diversity and equality. Proudman and Welp observed that these critical subjects were not being taken to the doorstep of these leaders—all to the detriment of struggling minorities and the economy as a whole. With a background that includes extensive field work in post-Apartheid South Africa in the early 1990s, Proudman and Welp have dedicated the last two decades to educating and engaging leaders of any race, color, gender or orientation. Welp is the author of the book, Four Days to Change. With an insightful foreword by Proudman, the book chronicles the journey from rural South Africa to the boardrooms of America—all to lay the groundwork of a global paradigm shift.